In this episode, I unpack Joost de Valk’s recent post on ProgressPlanner.com, where he describes the “two faces of WordPress”: the community-driven contributors and the commercially-driven businesses. While I largely agree with his premise that there's a widening gap between the two, I think there’s more nuance that needs to be acknowledged—especially for those of us who’ve been working at the intersection of both worlds for over a decade.

The article calls for companies to support the WordPress community with not just money, but time, code, and visibility. And I’m all for that. But it misses a key detail: some of us never left that middle ground. I’ve been covering the WordPress economy through The Matt Report and The WP Minute for 15 years—often operating without the support or even recognition that pieces like this seem to think don’t exist. If we’re going to talk about this divide, let’s not forget the creators and media voices who’ve been holding the two sides together.

Visibility isn't just a concern—it's one of the biggest challenges facing WordPress media today. Outlets like mine, which aim to bridge the community and business sides, consistently struggle to get meaningful support, whether that's financial backing, promotion, or access. We've long been amplifying voices and stories from both sides, but the support ecosystem hasn’t kept pace with the value we bring. The shuttering of the WordPress Media Corps is a missed opportunity to bridge that gap. And while Joost’s piece focuses on the lack of business contributions, I argue that the flip side is true too: the community hasn’t always embraced the business-minded, even though many community contributors work for those very businesses.

So, is WordPress stronger when both faces look in the same direction? Absolutely. But let’s not overlook the people already doing that work. We need to invest in the in-between: the storytellers, the indie media outlets, the connectors who understand both sides and are building the bridges every day.

Takeaways & Quotes

• “One does not build an empire by serving this intersection of community and business.”
• “There are a handful of us still doing the work Joost is calling for—we just need visibility and support.”
• “The business side has long been dismissed by parts of the community, even while funding it.”
• “The Media Corps was an opportunity to get independent voices closer to .org. We lost that.”
• “People want content that resonates with them, especially in an AI world—flaws and all.”

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Original blog post by Joost de Valk: The Two Faces of WordPress
• The WP Minute: thewpminute.com/support